How Leeann Molinari and Alyson Fox Work Together—Long-Distance
These lockets have their roots in Portland and Austin.
Leeann Molinari and Alyson Fox have been designing and making intricately patterned lockets together for more than two years now—despite the fact that Leeann lives in Portland, Oregon, and Alyson in Austin, Texas. So, how do the long-distance collaborators get stuff done? “We e-mail a lot,” says Alyson. Here’s a look at their 2,000-miles-apart process. —raquel laneri
Alyson:“I start by drawing with markers, and then I’ll use watercolors. Whatever I’m liking, I’ll scan on the computer and start to play with, repeating patterns, to see if it works for me. Leeann kind of gets the best of what I’m working on—like if I’m working on a wallpaper pattern or maybe thinking about something for a scarf, she’ll get some of that. If I’m working on a drawing, she’ll get some of that. [Ed: More on some of Alyson’s other work here.]”
Alyson: “I then e-mail Leeann a variety of designs to choose from: something that’s a little pared-down, almost symbol-like, and then an all-over pattern. It’s great because she never says, ‘I want a pattern that has yellow in it.’ She just says, ‘Let’s get some new stuff.’”
Leeann: “It’s absolutely a gut feeling—I usually go by what I love. Now I’ve kind of honed in on what people really respond to: a lot of colors, a lot of shapes and patterns, and a geometric theme. But it’s all kind of a gut thing.”
Leeann: “I then do the image-transfer onto the lockets. It’s a multi-step process, really intricate, and I use colored resins that can be really tricky and temperamental. It was a lot of trial and error. I get people e-mailing me, trying to get me to explain the process. I’m pretty protective of that part of it—it’s top-secret!”
Leeann: “This is going to make it sound like it’s really easy, but it takes me probably 10 minutes to finish a locket. I mean, I’ve made so many of these—I’m so fast by now.”
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Verabel + Fox
Verabel + Fox designers Leeann Molinari (left) and Alyson Fox have been collaborating since 2007. But they’ve only hung out in-person once. Like, ever. It all started when Leeann, an art-school dropout who had just opened her own clothing store in Portland, Oregon, emailed Alyson and asked the Austin, Texas-based illustrator and graphic and textile designer if she would draw a logo for her new shop. “Leeann was just so sweet and so gracious and so understanding of the process,” says Alyson. “And ever since, we talked about what other collaborations we could do.”
A few years later, the ideal second undertaking came along: Leann stumbled upon a trove of thousands of old lockets online, and she scooped up the whole lot, embellishing them with patterns and illustrations—and selling them like hotcakes from an Etsy shop that became so popular she closed her brick-and-mortar storefront. After about a year, she brought Alyson into the necklace mix, forging an easy partnership where Alyson designs the patterns and Leeann crafts the jewelry—you know, whenever they feel like it. “It’s totally like, ‘Hey, I’m kind of tired of looking at the ones that are up there, let’s do new ones,’” says Alyson. As far as other collaborations go, the duo is looking to move into T-shirts next. “But I’m hoping that people love the lockets for a long time to come,” says Leeann. “Because I have a lot of them.” —raquel laneri
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Recommended Reading: Tara St James of Study Shares Her Obsessions on Design*Sponge
This is just a taste, y’all. Head over to Design*Sponge for the whole shebang (and check out our guest posts with Erin Considine and Alyson Fox while you’re there!).
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Recommended Reading: Our Design*Sponge “Obsessions” Series
Did we tell you about this? How every other week, we’re asking one of our alumni designers to share the things she/he is sweating right now with our pals over at Design*Sponge? Well, get over there and take a peek—this week is all about the lovely Erin Considine (who made this woven wonder), and the awesome Alyson Fox (behind these necklaces) kicked things off. FUN TIMEZ, guys. —erica
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Alumni Sunday: Midsummer Collection Necklaces by Alyson Fox
Ok, so jewelry isn’t exactly seasonal, but just look at how well Alyson Fox nails a transition-to-fall color palate. With their vintage acrylic beads and leather cording, don’t these necklaces just make you want to pull on a pair of stiff new jeans and break in a Trapper Keeper? —erica
Read more about the designer:
+ On making the move from nutrition to art.
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Alumni News: Alyson Fox Does the Dishes
Sure, Alyson Fox makes some of the most fun necklaces out there (see!), but the Austin, Texas, creative is also a photographer, an interior designer, and an illustrator. Hell, she has her own line of dishes, the product of a two-year-long collaboration with the rad housewares brand Ink Dish. The Tug set (second pic) is for sale now, but you’ll have to wait ‘til August to land the stunning geometric White Noise motif (up top). Alyson claims those plates and serving bowls are not meant to “compete with the food.” Whether they’ll outshine everything else on your table is another story. —jiayi
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Post Production: Alyson Fox Gets Down With The Apiece Apart Blog
We kinda have a thing for the internet, and we’re always dying to know what sites other people are obsessing over these days. So we’re using this week as an excuse to quiz some of our plugged-in designers about their browser habits. First up: the so talented (in so many realms) Alyson Fox.
“The ladies behind Apiece Apart make some of my favorite clothes and their blog is really lovely. They always seem to find the best quotes that really ressonate with me in some way, and they categorize by color.” —alyson
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Weather Vain: Orlando, Florida - 81 and Partly Cloudy
Whether you’re spending the holidays with Disney or are a total Scrooge McDuck, you going to need a December look that won’t leave you all sweaty. And here you have it. —erica
Clockwise from top left:
+ Blue-green shades from Super that will shield your eyes from the sun and Christmas lights.
+ A lightweight, easy Edith A. Miller dress in wintery hues.
+ The sort of necklace—Alyson Fox for Of a Kind!—chill enough for a run to Infusion Tea but special enough for dinner at Primo.
+ Rachel Comey oxfords that can last-minute present shopping.
+ A (locally made!) Makr bag for toting all of those goodies you score.
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Jesse Kamm’s Designer Pals
She has worked with some of our favorites, and she has stories to prove it.
Jesse’s portrait in Alyson’s book, A Shade of Red. [Ed.: More on that here.]
Alyson Fox
“After my son Julien was born, I decided we needed to move to the woods, because I really wanted to focus on learning about this new guy in my life. So we rented this cabin just outside of Austin, Texas, and lived there for eight months. While there, I met this girl who owns an amazing boutique called Spartan, and I saw this Alyson Fox tea towel in there one day. I thought, ‘Hey, I remember that girl. We were in the same issue of Nylon a long time ago!’ A week later, she came by and photographed me for her book. We became instant fans of each other’s work. When I started the spring 2011 collection, it was obvious to get Alyson involved in the jewelry design.”
The yarn whiz and textile guru wearing each other’s pieces at their La Pietra Project opening at Pulp Lab in Seattle.
Elizabeth Yarborough
“Elizabeth and I are old friends. At the time we were introduced, I was doing illustrations based on buttons and bows, and Elizabeth was making button jewelry. One day, a Vogue editor who knew both our work said to me, ‘You gotta meet Elizabeth Yarborough.’ It turns out many of the buttons I was drawing were ones Elizabeth was using in her pieces. It was just this weird coincidence. I ended up using a lot of her jewelry for L.A. Bloom—a film I was making for my spring 2008 collection, featuring L.A. girls who inspired me. We went on to collaborate on a project a year later—Elizabeth made bangles based on the fabric of my dresses, the print of which was originally inspired by all this marble I saw in the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.”
Jesse sporting a Clare Vivier creation.
Clare Vivier
“Clare and I met through my friend Heather Taylor, who co-owns Taylor De Cardoba, a gallery here in Los Angeles where she organized this group show that Clare and I were both part of. That’s where we first met, but Clare actually wore one of my designs to the event. Nowadays, I stop by Clare’s store frequently—we swap a lot of bags for dresses. Clare took this picture—I love how you can see her in the reflection of the frame—of me wearing her bags and Elizabeth’s bangles.”
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Of a Kind
In case you missed out on today’s Erica Weiner edition—it’s gone already!—you should probably check out this necklace from another tremendously creative jewelry designer, Alyson Fox. Close your eyes and picture it peeking out from under a trench. Yup, perfect. —erica
